Since I have the honor of being one of the Judges for our Group Build Contest in honor of our founder, Des Delatorre, I can't fairly participate in the contest. I've therefore chosen to do a personal Tribute Build entered here in the Under Construction section to honor Des' memory and the friendship I was so fortunate to have with him for a regrettably short time.
Des was, as we all recall fondly, a Master Modeller who produced magnificent replicas of every subject he tackled. He was particularly adept in the scratch Building discipline and with the preservation and display of his collection facilitated through the kind efforts of Wingnut Wings his models will be enjoyed by many in the coming years. It is so fitting and touching that this membership are dedicating their entries to his memory, and I didn't want to be left out so here is my contribution off to the side.
I've chosen one of my favorite aircraft as the subject, and an excellent Kit as well, the Wingnut Wings Albatros D.Va. Long ago I "stashed" two of these Kits along with two of the earlier D.V variant as my greedy logic dictates that one can never have enough "Albies' and besides, two each would be the minimum for any collection given the virtually endless number of spectacular color schemes available.
Here's the standard box contents shot. I've already noticed that the wings, top and lower, are slightly bent and will require a little "hot water therapy" to get them true. I suspect five or more years in a basement storage room may well be the culprit.........
I'll be using all of the illustrated References for this Build and several more, particularly the considerable photo references on the Wingnut Wings Site.......
I've chosen this scheme from Pheon's Decal Set 32051 JG 17 as I wanted something with a natural wood finish for this build, lots of color, and not all that commonly seen. This aircraft was flown by the Staffelfuhrer Hptm. Freiherr von Esebeck in late 1917 until killed in action in may of 1918.
I'll be adding quite a pile of after market products to the model in addition to those beautiful Pheon decals, starting with Aviattic's excellent lozenge fabric for the wings:
I also have some left over Alb. D.III Photo Etch that is common to the later variants, a sheet of HGW "nails" to experiment with, and an optional upgraded PE Radiator.
Last for now are the standard HGW Fabric seat belts, a pile of Taurus resin upgrades for the D.IIIa engine, and a pair of Gas patch's outstanding Spandaus. I'll also be using Aeroclub Instrument Bezels and a fellow Forum member is providing some tiny cockpit additions for me to try later.
I'm very much looking forward to this Build.
This one's for you Des!Cheers,
Lance
